Technology to be put to test in simulated U.S.-Canada hearing

The Center for Legal and Court Technology (CLCT),
a joint initiative of William & Mary Law School and the National
Center for State Courts, will conduct a simulated bi-national marine
commission hearing on March 22 from 2 to 5 p.m. EST in
Williamsburg, Va., and Montreal, Canada, to determine how legislative
hearings can best use modern technology to enhance success, efficiency
and transparency.

Working in conjunction with the University of Montreal's Cyberjustice
Laboratory, a fictional commission will use state-of-the-art technology
to conduct a quasi-legislative inquiry with panels working concurrently
in Canada and the United States.

The commission's work will focus on the following fictional
occurrence: On Jan. 13- 17, 2013, Sam Steuer of the Pacifica Marine
Life Preservation Foundation released approximately 250 tons of iron
filings into the ocean west of Washington State and Vancouver Island. He
did so with the primary intent to create an experimental plankton bloom
that would capture carbon dioxide, thus helping to remediate the
effects of global warming. He and his vessel were intercepted by the
United States Coast Guard immediately after release of the filings. Even
if useful, such "geoengineering" can have harmful side effects and is
highly controversial as well as unlawful in at least some areas.
Increasing interest in coping with the adverse weather effects of global
warming as well as concern about the collateral effects of ocean
"vandalism" led the United States and Canada to create a joint
commission to inquire into this incident and to make recommendations to
the governments of both nations as to potential executive or legislative
action.

The Williamsburg hearing will take place in William & Mary Law
School's McGlothlin Courtroom, the world's most technologically advanced
trial and appellate courtroom. The Montreal hearing will take place in
the University of Montreal's Cyberjustice Laboratory, Canada's most
technologically advanced courtroom. The commission's technology will
include extensive use of videoconferencing to enable the two panels to
work together, remote testimony, cloud-based access to relevant
documents, electronic display of evidence, and a realtime multi-media
court record. Expert testimony will be supplied by two faculty members
from William & Mary's School of Marine Science (Virginia Institute of Marine Science): Professor Walker O. Smith, Jr., and Professor Deborah K. Steinberg.

Interested in going? This event is free and open to the public. To
reserve a seat, please contact the Center for Legal and Court Technology
at (757) 221-2494 or clct@wm.edu.